Man, 72, dies when car hits tree in downtown Worcester

WORCESTER — A 72-year-old man died Monday afternoon after his car crashed into a tree on MLK Jr. Boulevard near the Worcester Trial Court building, police said in a news release.

The accident occurred about 3 p.m. Arriving police officers removed the lone occupant of the car, who appeared unconscious, and began administering CPR. Responders from the Fire Department and Worcester EMS arrived moments later and took over medical care, police said in the release.

The driver was taken to St. Vincent Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:28 p.m., according to police. The medical examiner's office will conduct a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death, police said.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the victim’s Buick sedan was traveling west on MLK Boulevard when it crossed into the eastbound lane, went onto the sidewalk between a Bank of America ATM and an electrical panel box and struck a tree, police said. The car sustained extensive front-end damage.

A witness told police that the man in the car appeared to have been slumped over as the vehicle accelerated before striking the tree.

Police accident reconstruction investigators are working to determine what happened. The car was towed to the police station for a full mechanical inspection.

Police are withholding the name of the victim pending notification of "all known family members," they said in a news release.